


Chance

by sandersonsister



Category: Primeval
Genre: Angst, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 04:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandersonsister/pseuds/sandersonsister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Captain Ryan didn't make it." Stephen's reaction... eventually will be a fix-it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chance

Beta: THANK YOU to the wonderful fredbassett

Disclaimer: Not mine. I make absolutely no money off of this. Ditzy belongs to fredbassett. I just barrowed him for a moment.

 

“Captain Ryan didn’t make it.” 

“The words rang through Stephen’s head, dulling everything around him. He was vaguely aware of Connor turning to him in horror – of the soldiers frantically moving around him, eyes either fixated on the anomaly or Stephen himself.

He was only aware that he had fallen to the ground when Ditzy appeared beside him, speaking in a calm tone and checking his pulse. No one else even noticed as he struggled back to his feet. All eyes had turned away, not focusing on the Cutters. Stephen shook his head frantically, trying to make the blackening in his vision disappear. Passing out wouldn’t help anything. Nothing could help. Ryan was gone.

“You see, Nick, it was just one of those things. I was lonely, and you didn’t seem to care about me. And Stephen was so sweet and attentive.” 

Stephen shook his head, heart pounding frantically as he tuned back in on that sentence. This couldn’t be happening. Not today. Not now. Not after Ryan… “Shut up, Helen.”

“Oh, you mean you never told him? Oh dear.” 

Stephen looked at Nick, desperately trying to show just how sorry he was. This couldn’t be happening. How could one woman consistently destroy his life? 

“What an extremely awkward moment,” Lester chimed in.

“You see, I don’t want to be on my own any more.” Stephen’s heart broke further as Nick turned away from him, eyes fixed on the ground.

Frantically, Stephen turned his eyes to Connor. Connor knew. Connor would help hi – how could he possibly deal with this now? With Ryan…

Connor shook his head.

That was it then.

Stephen’s eyes slowly drifted to Helen. Which, of course, she took as a sign to start talking again. “You once said you’d do anything for me if I gave you the chance. Well, here it is. Come with me.”

Helen began to move forward, toward Stephen, and he shook his head in denial. Not now. This wasn’t happening now. It couldn’t be. This had to be the worst day of his life. Losing Ryan was bad enough. This was just too much.

“Don’t do this,” he pleaded. Please, please don’t. Don’t take away the one thing I have left…

“Falling for one of your students is never a good idea, but…” she paused and turned back to her husband, a smirk gracing her features. “Sometimes these things happen, you know?”

Nick finally spoke. “How could you keep that from me for so many years?”

Stephen swallowed hard. Ryan had been right. He should have told Nick. He said something like this was going to happen if Nick found out the wrong way. “There was no point in saying anything. It was a long time ago. In the past.”

Of course Helen had to chime in. “The past has a habit of coming back these days, doesn’t it?”

Nick turned away. Ryan had been right. He was always right. Why hadn’t Stephen listened? 

“Well?” Helen asked. “Are you coming or not?”

Slowly, Stephen approached the woman. From the corner of his eye, he saw Connor’s mouth fall open. Something in Stephen snapped. How could Connor think Stephen would even consider…

“You know what I’d forgotten, Helen? Sometimes, you can be a real bitch.”

She left. Turned around and walked straight back through that damn anomaly. 

And that was when Cutter decided it was a good time to start asking questions. Questions about some imaginary woman. No one mentioned Ryan. Not one person. Stephen turned to the soldiers, seeing the broken looks on their faces and knew they had to mirror his own. Captain Ryan didn’t make it…

It had started out easily enough. Stephen had been talking to one of the soldiers – Blade he learned later – about where he’d learned to shoot, when Ryan walked up behind him.

“A farm?” Ryan questioned, making Stephen’s head snap around to look at the older man. “You learned to shoot like that on a damn farm?”

Stephen felt a blush light his face. “Not much else to do,” he admitted to the handsome man.

The captain smiled slightly – barely a smile at all, but it made something in Stephen’s chest tighten. 

“Maybe we should send some of the lads to a farm, huh boss?” Blade questioned with a grin. 

Captain Ryan chuckled, “I think they might protest, but there’s no doubt Dr. Hart could beat some of them.”

“Stephen,” Stephen cut in quickly.

The captain full out grinned then, “Ryan.”

Just a compliment from the older man had made Stephen’s heart pound. Of course, that had led to many sleepless nights with Stephen agonizing over having feelings for someone unavailable again. 

“Stephen, you need to breathe,” Ditzy said quickly, once again pressing his fingers to Stephen’s pulse point. 

Stephen shook his head, trying to move away from the fingers. 

Why wasn’t anyone going back through? Who cares what Nick said – Ryan’s body was there. He should be here, home. “Ryan – “

“Stephen, breathe,” Ditzy snapped.

How could this happen now? Not after everything they’ve been through. 

“You were told not to go back in there,” a stern voice spoke from the hospital doorway.

Stephen winced as he looked up and saw Ryan’s glare. “Cutter was inside.”

“And came out fine. You didn’t,” the captain continued, moving into the hospital room and taking the open chair by the bed. “Though Abby seemed pleased by the outcome – not sure how you’ll feel about it. Heard you can’t remember anything after you went into that tunnel.”

Stephen frowned. Why would Abby be pleased that he ended up in the hospital? “What do you mean?”

Ryan’s face twisted into a mocking grin, but Stephen saw the humor in the man’s eyes. “Well, after you informed her how pretty she was, you asked her to dinner.”

Stephen sat up quickly, wincing as pain coursed through his body. “I did what?”

Ryan leaned back in the chair, the smile still firmly in place. “Oh, yes. Looks like you got yourself a date.”

Stephen stared at the captain helplessly. Just how out of it had he been? Abby was a great girl, and yes, she was pretty, but not his type. At all.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate the horrified look on your face at the moment.” Ryan chuckled loudly, shaking his head. 

“I just – she’s great – but she’s… well, she’s…”

“A she?” Ryan smirked, rolling his eyes when yet another horrified look passed over Stephen’s features. “Don’t worry, Hart. Takes one to know one.”

That had Stephen’s mouth falling open in shock. “Oh, I didn’t-“

“Not many do,” Ryan agreed. “Just my team. A few past flings.”

“Oh.” Stephen felt somewhat touched. The captain would share so much with him. And a certain that in his chest when he realized his slight crush wasn’t as hopeless as he thought.

“I’d best be off,” Ryan stated, standing from the chair and staring down at the other man. “Next time we tell you to stay out, do it. I don’t fancy pulling your arse out of that again.”

Stephen tuned back in when Connor said, “It’s closing.”

Stephen saw Nick move forward and instantly knew what he was going to do. Stephen had already lost Ryan – he wasn’t going to let Nick get stuck in the past. He moved forward, grabbing Nick at the same time Connor did. “No.”

“No, no, no. No! I have to go! I have to make things right!”

“Don’t be stupid!” Stephen snapped. “You’ll get marooned there.”

Stephen let Nick go just after the anomaly closed and moved away from the other man rapidly. Nick didn’t even glance at him as he spoke to the others furiously.

But Stephen was staring at the open area that once held an anomaly. That was it. Stephen had just lost his only chance to ever see Ryan again.


End file.
